This was the second book I read of the Summer, and it was pretty alright. I like that it was easy to read as YA is and as YA goes there was a good life lesson. No vampires or crazy mysteries here, just a well told story that was based off a real life case. In 2012 a real life incident at a high school came to the national spotlight as 2 star football players were charged and convicted of the rape of a classmate at a party. Additionally there were 4 adults who were charged with covering up the crime and the principal was charged with covering up an additional rape that took prior. It was a very awful case and I was quite sickened by it, but I don't want to go into too much detail because this isn't what the post is about. I just thought I would give some background on the case to set up this book. Short version is that this is setup like this case, but it takes place in Iowa instead of Ohio and features basketball instead of football.
Kate Weston can piece together most of the bash at John Doone’s house: shots with Stacey Stallard, Ben Cody taking her keys and getting her home early—the feeling that maybe he’s becoming more than just the guy she’s known since they were kids.
But when a picture of Stacey passed out over Deacon Mills’s shoulder appears online the next morning, Kate suspects she doesn’t have all the details. When Stacey levels charges against four of Kate’s classmates, the whole town erupts into controversy. Facts that can’t be ignored begin to surface, and every answer Kate finds leads back to the same question: Where was Ben when a terrible crime was committed?
This story—inspired by real events—from debut novelist Aaron Hartzler takes an unflinching look at silence as a form of complicity. It’s a book about the high stakes of speaking up, and the razor thin line between guilt and innocence that so often gets blurred, one hundred and forty characters at a time.
I gave this book 3 stars on Goodreads, meaning that I liked it, but it wasn't the most powerful book I've ever read. It actually makes me feel bad that I didn't like it more. While I did think the narrator Kate was very right for standing up for a former friend and someone who didn't deserve to be treated the way she was, there are better books our there with similar subject matter. Was this a great book for tweens and teens even people in their early 20s? Yes, absolutely this should be required reading in ethics or psychology for that age set. I thought it was very well written, Hartzler did a fantastic job.
Often I can find the writing in YA a bit dumbed down, but I really don't have any complaints about this book. I just think as an adult who has been exposed to the world (and its evils), as well as other fictional retelling of sexual assault this just isn't as good.
I think that's the bottom line and I don't really want to prolong this any more than it has to be. Did I like this book? Yes. Was it well written? Absolutely, I think the subject manner was handled beautifully. Will Teens enjoy this book? Probably not, depending on maturity level this can be an uncomfortable read, but I think it's a good and informative read. I think this deserves a solid grade of B+, which I feel bad about because Goodreads is telling me I should like this book more than I did. Should I feel bad about that? Oh who knows, but it's a very good read if you're interested. I will say if YA bugs you though, you can skip. That's all for now!
Kate Weston can piece together most of the bash at John Doone’s house: shots with Stacey Stallard, Ben Cody taking her keys and getting her home early—the feeling that maybe he’s becoming more than just the guy she’s known since they were kids.
But when a picture of Stacey passed out over Deacon Mills’s shoulder appears online the next morning, Kate suspects she doesn’t have all the details. When Stacey levels charges against four of Kate’s classmates, the whole town erupts into controversy. Facts that can’t be ignored begin to surface, and every answer Kate finds leads back to the same question: Where was Ben when a terrible crime was committed?
This story—inspired by real events—from debut novelist Aaron Hartzler takes an unflinching look at silence as a form of complicity. It’s a book about the high stakes of speaking up, and the razor thin line between guilt and innocence that so often gets blurred, one hundred and forty characters at a time.
I gave this book 3 stars on Goodreads, meaning that I liked it, but it wasn't the most powerful book I've ever read. It actually makes me feel bad that I didn't like it more. While I did think the narrator Kate was very right for standing up for a former friend and someone who didn't deserve to be treated the way she was, there are better books our there with similar subject matter. Was this a great book for tweens and teens even people in their early 20s? Yes, absolutely this should be required reading in ethics or psychology for that age set. I thought it was very well written, Hartzler did a fantastic job.
Often I can find the writing in YA a bit dumbed down, but I really don't have any complaints about this book. I just think as an adult who has been exposed to the world (and its evils), as well as other fictional retelling of sexual assault this just isn't as good.
I think that's the bottom line and I don't really want to prolong this any more than it has to be. Did I like this book? Yes. Was it well written? Absolutely, I think the subject manner was handled beautifully. Will Teens enjoy this book? Probably not, depending on maturity level this can be an uncomfortable read, but I think it's a good and informative read. I think this deserves a solid grade of B+, which I feel bad about because Goodreads is telling me I should like this book more than I did. Should I feel bad about that? Oh who knows, but it's a very good read if you're interested. I will say if YA bugs you though, you can skip. That's all for now!
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